Thrive
‘True action:’ City unveils Resilient St. Pete plan
“This is not just a plan that will sit stagnant.”
St. Petersburg has unveiled the results of a resident-supported initiative that will help ensure the city remains environmentally resilient into the future, despite evolving threats.
Officials enlisted the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council to develop the Resilient St. Pete Action Plan in the summer of 2024. Back-to-back hurricanes subsequently underscored its importance.
The plan’s recently completed first phases, as highlighted at a Dec. 11 city council meeting, prioritized community feedback, understanding vulnerabilities and assessing city infrastructure. Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, who championed the initiative, noted that “this has been quite an undertaking to get to this point.”
“Countless residents devoted immense time and energy over the last 18 months to develop the action plan,” Gabbard said. “They did so, remember, even under unimaginable stress and upheaval in their own lives due to the impacts that each participating neighborhood experienced during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“They used those events as a catalyst to create a movement of change in our community about how we invest in our infrastructure going forward.”
The action plan is one of multiple initiatives under the Resilient St. Pete umbrella. Maeven Rogers, director of sustainability and resilience, credited the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC), Jacobs Engineering, Gabbard, Councilmember Mike Harting, Rep. Lindsay Cross and the residents who joined a series of walking tours for their collaborative efforts.
Rogers said those “lived insights” were invaluable and helped “ground this work in real community needs.” The action plan’s story maps encompass nine neighborhoods: Childs Park, Kingston Street South, Riviera Bay, Old Pasadena, Bartlett Park, Coquina Key, Bonita Bayou and Harbordale.
Those areas have a “unique relationship with the water,” Rogers said. “Some are low in elevation, adjacent to the coast or contain major drainage ditches and lakes.” Other neighborhoods can still participate in the program.
The TBRPC coordinated walking tours, and community leaders described their environmental vulnerabilities. Engineers and administrators used gathered feedback to confirm and refine technical data.
“These nine neighborhoods were selected as the first focus areas because they show some of the most consistent and well-documented flooding challenges in the city,” Rogers added.
The action plan’s platform includes six informational categories. Those include an introduction, community voices, flood risks, pathways to resilience, long-term goals and a glossary.
Neighborhood story maps detail the type and frequency of flooding threats and at-risk infrastructure. Rogers said the pathways to resilience section offers residents the tools needed to advocate for solutions.
“This is a list that needs ongoing building and identification of projects,” she continued. “It will change as community feedback comes in.”
A “looking forward” section highlights current neighborhood projects, defines the city’s strategy and identifies flood hazards to mitigate. Rogers noted that resilience planning, and attempting to predict future threats, is a “massive undertaking.”
The plan’s final two phases encompass adaptation and integration. Rogers said those aspects are “where assessments meet real-world solutions.”
For example, the city is now elevating critical equipment at the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility. Rogers described the adaptation process as “understanding the issue, choosing the hazard we want to design for and determining whether the return on investment makes sense for our level of risk tolerance.”
“This is not just a plan that will sit stagnant,” Gabbard emphasized. “This is the beginning of how true action will follow to ensure that St. Petersburg is a thriving coastal community long into the future.”
Her words rang true minutes later when council members unanimously approved a contract to launch a long-awaited dredging project in Riviera Bay. Residents highlighted the issues, exacerbated by Helene and Milton, during the walking tours.
The city will dredge Canals 11 and 12 from around 4th Street North to discharge points in Tampa Bay. However, officials must first navigate complex state and federal permitting processes.
Brejesh Prayman, director of engineering and capital improvements, said a “base understanding” of requirements gleaned from the project will “help us develop a repeatable process in the future.” AtkinsRéalis USA, Inc. will complete the necessary studies and surveys.
Vanessa Pugliese, president of the Riviera Bay Civic Association, said residents have advocated for dredging due to an increase in flooding that began long before Helene passed roughly 100 miles offshore. They “watched sedimentation flow into the canal system” due to various construction projects in the area.
“You can walk across the canals in certain locations now,” Pugliese added. “After Helene, now you can walk all the way into Rio Vista Park without getting wet, where you used to be able to draft a significantly-sized boat.
“We’re very happy that you’re starting with Canals 11 and 12, as they are the worst in the neighborhood.”
A map of the project location.
